New JPI Oceans Joint Call on the ecological aspects of deep-sea mining

Entering into the third phase of the Joint Action, JPI Oceans aims to advance scientific knowledge in support of policy making on deep-sea mining, while facilitating the analysis of related ethical implications and societal consequences. The scope of this call results from a yearlong process in which interested JPI Oceans members invited scientists, policy makers, industry, and NGO representatives to take stock of knowledge gaps and future research priorities.  

Have been identified as important scientific objectives such as ecosystem dynamics, ecological impacts of polymetallic nodule mining, ecological impacts of massive sulphide mining and science-based support to governance. 

Projects funded under the new call are welcome to link their field work to a full-scale mining test implemented by a private entity. In addition, projects are welcome to establish links to companies working on development activities, such as the integration or pilot testing of new (environmental monitoring) technologies in the domain of deep-sea mining or deep-sea habitat (baseline) surveys. To accommodate collaboration between the research project proposals and potential interested commercial parties, JPI Oceans is launching a call for expression of interest for private sector partners preceding the trans-national joint call. A list of potential opportunities for partnering will be made available at the call launch date on the 1st of December 2023. 

Conditions for collaboration with private sector partners: 

1. The research project(s) will work in full independence of the private sector partners; Funding agencies will not provide funding for the development of mining activities or technologies. Viceversa, research project participants cannot receive funding from private sector partners.  

1.  Regulatory requirements regarding state-aid and competition will be observed; 

1. Transparency is key. All results deriving from the publicly funded project(s) will be made available through open data and open access publications and databases; 

1. Enterprises will gain insights from the project(s) concurrently with the wider community, ensuring a level playing field in access to the resultant data. 

1. Research projects working in partnership with private sector entities should not serve as substitutes for environmental impact assessments related to test mining activities or technologies. Private sector entities are responsible for funding separate assessments if mandated. 

Each application for a joint project must involve researchers from at least three funding partner countries. Self-funded partners including partners from countries (and/or regions) not participating in this call are allowed but do not contribute to the minimum eligible consortium size. No maximum number of partners is specified. 

Timeline:  

01.12.2023 >Call publication 

01.03.2024 - 17:00 CET> Deadline for submitting pre-proposals 

Learn more: https://shorturl.at/hDIP4